Mathieu van der Poel expects a different race than usual in Gavere
Mathieu van der Poel arrived in Gavere early afternoon with his Lamborghini Ursus to race the World Cup cyclocross. The Dutchman took plenty of time for his fans and handed out some autographs, but then continued with his race preparations. On paper, the Dutchman can already take the lead in the World Cup on Friday.
Van der Poel expects a different kind of cyclocross in Gavere on Friday than usual. In the past, the world champion fought memorable duels in the mud here against Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert, but they won’t be starting this time. Tibor Del Grosso and Thibau Nys will, however.
But Van der Poel will not be battling it out in the mud with them. It has frozen hard, so the course is icy. "It will be a different race than what we’re used to. Normally it’s always tough and muddy conditions here. Today it will be different. It’s starting to thaw a bit, but it’s more slippery than heavy," he made clear to Het Nieuwsblad.
Finally, Van der Poel was asked about his Christmas. Like other years, it was "nothing special" because of the cyclocross. "We just had some food with the family as every year."
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